Guides

Practical answers about sun and shade, each one tied to a live map you can point at your own address.

Sun and shadow tools

• Shade map for any address

  A free shade map for any address. See which streets, gardens and terraces are in shade at any hour of any day, drawn from real 3D buildings. Runs in your browser.

• Shadow calculator

  Shadow length calculator: the formula, a table of shadow per metre by sun height, which way shadows point, and real building shadows for any address and time.

• Solar elevation angle

  What the solar elevation angle is, the simple noon formula (90° minus latitude plus declination), worked examples for UK and US cities, and the shadow rule.

• Sun angle calculator

  Free sun angle calculator: get the sun's height (elevation) and bearing (azimuth) for any address, date and time, shown over real 3D buildings and shadows.

• A sun path app that runs in your browser

  Sundial is a free sun path app that runs in your phone's browser. See the sun's direction, height and path over real 3D buildings. Nothing to install.

• Sunlight simulator for any address

  A free sunlight simulator for any address. Pick any date and time, or play a whole day or year, and watch real 3D buildings cast shadows in your browser.

Gardens

• East-facing garden: morning sun, and when it leaves

  An east facing garden gets sun from sunrise until after midday. See what time the sun leaves each part of the garden in June, March and December.

• North-facing garden: is it always in shade?

  Is a north facing garden always in shade? No. In summer the far end can get sun all day. It comes down to garden length versus the shadow of your house.

• South-facing garden: how much sun it really gets

  How much sun does a south facing garden get? In June most of a UK garden sees 12 or more hours of direct sun. See how that changes by season, and what blocks it.

• West-facing garden: afternoon and evening sun

  A west facing garden gets sun from midday into the evening, until after 9 pm in a London June. See when it arrives, when it goes, and what steals it early.

Homes and property

• The best direction for a house to face

  The best direction for a house to face depends on climate: sun-facing living rooms where winters are cold, and less west glass where summers are hot.

• North-facing house: is it dark?

  Is a north facing house dark? It depends on which side faces north. Winter sun angles, front vs back, and what to check at a viewing, with a free 3D sun map.

• South-facing house: which side, and what it means

  What a south facing house really means: which side faces south, how much sun the front and back get each season, and how to check any address in 3D.

• Which way does my house face?

  Which way does my house face? Check with your phone compass, a map or the sun's shadow, and learn whether a listing means the front or the garden.

Photography

• Golden hour calculator

  Golden hour calculator: when evening golden hour starts in UK and US cities through the year, and a 3D map of which facades catch the low light at your spot.

Alternatives

• ShadeMap alternative: how Sundial compares

  Looking for a ShadeMap alternative? Sundial is a free 3D sun and shadow map for any address, with a sun-hours heatmap and no account. Here's how they compare.

• Shadowmap alternative for any date, free

  A free Shadowmap alternative: Sundial shows sun and shadows on 3D buildings for any date, plus a sun-hours heatmap, in your browser with no account.

• Sun Seeker alternative for checking from home

  A free Sun Seeker alternative for checking sun and shade before you visit: Sundial maps the sun's path and building shadows in 3D in your browser.

• SunCalc alternative with 3D buildings

  A SunCalc alternative that draws real building shadows in 3D. Sundial shows the sun's path and hours of sun for any address and date, free in your browser.